Sunday, January 27, 2013
by Dane Neumeister

Two long-time area high school football coaches will be joining the Mount's football coaching staff this coming fall, Tom Grippa and Rick Thompson.

Grippa comes to the Mount from LaSalle High School in Cincinnati, OH, where he was the school's head coach since 2003. He has also been the head coach at Fairfield High School and Elder High School. Grippa has coached his teams to 173 wins and numerous playoff appearances. He will be the Lions' offensive coordinator and quarterback's coach. He is a graduate of the College of Wooster.

Thompson was the head football coach at Boone County (KY) High School since 1998 and led this team to district, regional and state semifinalist appearances. He will coordinate the Lion's special teams and worked with linebackers. He has a bachelor's degree from Northern Kentucky University and a masters's degree from Xavier University.

Mount head coach Rod Huber had this to say about his staff's new additions.

"Coach Grippa and Coach Thompson are both very respected former head coaches, who bring a wealth of experience to my coaching staff,'' Huber stated. "They will make an immediate impact on our players and in the area of recruiting. I am very excited to have both of them on board and look forward to watching them work with our players."

Grippa said he is looking forward to coming to the Mount.

I am very excited about joining the College of Mount St. Joseph football staff,'' Grippa said. "Rod Huber is one of most respected college coaches and I am honored that he asked me to be his offensive coordinator. I promise that I will leave no stone unturned in our quest for competitive excellence."

Thompson is also excited about the coming season.

"I am looking forward to the opportunity I have to be part of an exciting period of Mount football,'' Thompson stated. "Coach Huber's passion for the players and this school, as well as his desire to build something great is something that I wanted to be a part of."